Take a look on this page (scroll down) and see if it looks like yours. I seem to recall the name but I have no idea whether they were a part of another company or out on their own.

Considering the age/time period and the LOOK of that headstock--note the Martin appearance and Martin-like script--My guess is they got caught up in the Martin lawsuit issues with other Japanese companies, notably Takemine. Tak was strong enough to survive the period and others were not. Just a guess on my part, but I'd be willing to bet on my theory.

Thanks catspaw 39, yes your tipple looks just like mine, only mine is blonde, great wee instument. Found your info about Martin very interesting,I didn't know about a lawsuit. You are probably dead right. Thanks - Eddy

found a Yasuma model F1500 in a charity shop.. parlour size guitar and Martin copy.. maybe 70's by the luvverly patina.. had the neck straightened out and its very perky... It reminded me of a seventies Yamaha F110 that I used to have.... so maybe the Ya and the ma and use of F as a serial number points to Yamaha...

"I've never neded to contact the manufacturer but anyway I knew that Yasuma stopped making guitars in the 70s. I've never seen another Yasuma or even heard of anyone else owning one until I stumbled across this web site. Reading the other postings I think they enjoy their Yasumas as much as I enjoy mine."

I nought one today in a charity shop in Edinburgh for £39!! Its very nice Martin D28 copy Model 130. Im going to get it set up and revived - The build quality is very good with a rich deep tone. No bum notes no intonation problems.

I am a proud owner of a Yasuma model 350 6 string acustic guitar that i snapped up on ebay for £420.It's a copy of a Martin D35 and the workmanship is spot on.It's made of beautiful bookmatched solid woods and sounds great too.I would'nt be surprised if Yasuma gave Martin a good run for their money back then. It's a shame we don't have any info about this company as i'm certain that there are a few of these gems still knocking about.I love mine and will not sell it everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...........!!

I bought my Yasuma 350 back in 1986 from a second hand guitar store in Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia and have played it on and off since. Over the years I have thought of trading it in but when ever I've played with anyone else they always comment on the sound. After having found this info I'm glad i've still got it. It's a nice guitar to play but i also find the neck a bit thin for my chubby fingers.

Yes you're right the neck on the 350 is a bit thin,i find i have to keep my nails really short to play cleanly.But well worth it as the sound of the 350 is nice.To buy a guitar of this quality today would cost more or less £1000

At last I have found people who are aquainted with Yasuma instruments !!

I hope that someone can shed some light on my Yasuma Mandolin.

I bought this instrument secondhand in 1976 and I estimate that it was no more than 5 years old at that time. It is marked K Yasuma ( in fancy script) and Newance on the headstock. Inside it shows Nagoya, Japan.

This is a lovely instrumet and it plays very well ( especially with a set of Martin Strings).

At last I also have found something out about my mystery Yasuma Guitar. I found my at my Grandma's place in Gipsland (victoria, Australia) when i was younger (about 10-11 i think). Lots of people would play it when they vistited, and when i was sixteen finally i convinced her to give it to me! Im not sure what model or make it is, the writing on the head is old and worn. I have never heard anything about them, all i know is that when i got it serviced, I also got a pick up putin it. The bloke who serviced it said they are very rare guitars and worth alot of money now-but had no idea how much. I never plan on selling it...its one of the only acoustics i have found with such a thin neck which i love. Its got a large body and many people comment on its sound and how load it is. Its crisp and very unique. Im glad there are others out there with similar models! Im tipping it was made in the 70's, it old....very old, in pretty good condition. Got that clasic, kind of 'country' style body shape.

I live in Spain. I've got a Yasuma 130 from the early 70's. It was my sister's guitar, and I picked up from the attic where it was left in 1988, when I decided to start playing guitar. It sounds beautiful, and frets, neck, bridge and machine heads are perfect after all these years. I wouldn't sell it at any price, and I'm considering to try to buy another one from one person that I know that owns another one in the same condition, because I think I could amplificate it to use it on stage. I own five guitars (fender, gretsch, yamaha...), and this one is the only one "intouchable". It's impossible to find a new guitar with this quality, unless you can spend 2.000$.

I also have a Yasuma Guitar Model F1600H Bought at an Auction 1998. It's in excellent condition. I plan on selling it soon and real interested in its value. Following is my email address catfish38583@blomand.net I can forward pictures as needed if contacted.

I just bought one for $100 and I am very impressed. It sounds and looks beautiful and is in excellent condition. I am interested to know more about the Yasuma Co but would also like to know how to tell what model the guitar is - there is the K Yasuma & Co Newance logo in gold lettering on the head and that's all. Can anyone help? G

I have a Yasuma newance model 200.only cost £15 in a local charity shop.never new anything about the comany until I found this site,I still dont know much but i now know i'm not alone in the world. from a confused musician

Just picked up a Yasuma B&M Jumbo 155 from eBay for £30.00 Got it home, needs a little TLC, but sounds much richer and plays much better than many of the expensive Martin and boutique guitars that I was trying out recently and looking to buy. How strange to get something so spot on sound-wise on a whim of looking for guitars under £50.00 on eBay !

i just picked a yamaha f 310 up compliments of argos for £80,best sounding guitar i ever had ,what a super sound,just shows you cant go by price and how good they look ,because the looks are nothing to shout about with this guitar,best wishes

I am the lucky owner of two Yasuma dreadnought guitars. One is a custom 500 and the other is a W130. I've nicknamed them the captain and the cowboy respectively and for good reason. The 500 is handmade, ebony finger board, unusual binding with a mix of brown/green woods. Solid spruce top with mahogany back/sides. Action is good. Sound is deep and rich. Wasnt cheap to buy too. Almost too good for me! The 130 has been through the wars and has lots marks and dings. The front has abalone edging with an abalone soundhole ring. Abalone fret markers too. Again, stunning sound.

I have a Yasuma W130 and I'm looking for someone who would appreciate such a fine guitar. It is in close to perfect condition. If anyone is interested i can send you some pictures of it. I'm open to prices but as it is one of the more prime makes of the Yasuma collection I'm not going to give it off cheaply. Send me a message on johnsy_77@hotmail.com if your intersted!

Just found this site while browsing for guitar histories. I have owned a Yasuma model 230, (copy of a Martin D35 I think) since I bought it new in the early 70's for about 30 pounds in Glasgow. It has been with me ever since and has turned into a family jewel. I have several other guitars but would not part with the Yasuma. Only disapointment is that they were viewed as a knock-off of Martin,(which is true), but this does not do justice to the quality of the instrument. I have played many guitars and haven't played many that compare to the Yasuma. Looked on e-bay just for laughs and there were none for sale. A pretty rare item indeed.

I have owned a Yasuma Mandolin for 30 years and never found anyone who heard if the company. The inside label reads "Est 1950, Hand made by Yausma Musical Inst. Co., Model YM130" Still plays great. I bought it off a fellow guitarist when I decided to try the mandolin. I'd be interested in the value now, but who could know for sure?

I can't believe I have found some fellow owners. I have a Newance s/n FG 1600A. I have had it from new 1982. I have tried to find out more about it. The Yasuma Music Company (Tokyo) packed up in the late 1970s. I am interested in the martin connection. Now I think about it I can see where this comes from. I must try Martin strings.It plays and sounds great. The colour after all these years also looks lovely.

Wow, others do exist. I got given my 130B in the early 90's by a friend of mine, at the time guitar was of little intrest to me, more into the woodwinds and percussion. It has always been with me, which is a bit wierd considering I never really played it, well untill aprox 8 years ago. I can honestly say this guitar has been a damn good friend to me and my family. I now play it far more than any other instrument I have. I never thought to much about the history untill coming across this forum, I now feel far more thankful and I may have keep my boys from destroying it.

I think that people have got to stop fishing for this "Martin Lawsuit" connection to every Japaneseguitar made in the 70s. The D28 was SOLID wood and just about every "Martin Lawsuit" guitar whether it be Takamine, Yamaki or Mr Miyagi is made of laminate (fancy word for laminste). I own a Sigma and a Goya which are made by Martin in Lorea. Great guitars . . .but plywood with solid cedar/spruce soundboards. The MArtin D28/18/35 are different. Takamine simply stole their bracing patern. These guitars are more copies of the Martin "X" series which retails around $499 US.

I plan to offer $100 for a Yasuma. That is what the Sigma, the Goya and a nice melllow little Seagull all cost me. My Takamine which is new last year and actually IS solid mahogony, is nothing like a Martin.

Thank god someone else sees sense The lawsuits were over the shape of the Logo and not the way they made the guitar and correct me if I'm wrong but nobody actually went to court. The threat was enough.

Funny, for years I looked for info on my Yasuma CUSTOM Model 130 and nobody had ever heard of them.I have owned mine since 1980 and would never ever part with it( they will have to pry it from my cold ,dead hands). It has gone through 3 bridges, 2 cowboy fret jobs and a neck reset.When I got the neck reset they thought I was nuts dropping $375 on a cheap Japanese copy. They had no idea of the treasure they held in their hands.

I got given a used Yasuma WG130 around 1986 by a repentant girlfriend as a replacement for my priceless 1960's Epiphone she trashed during a 'disagreement' ( well my playing never was up to much, but she could have just asked me to clear off down to the shed...). Beautifully made and finished, pretty standard looking apart from a tapered headstock - never seen another, anybody else out there got one ? Well the girl has long gone, but the axe lives on. It certainly hasn't been loved these past 25 years or so,it had a heavy action that just didn't invite one to reach for it in a mellow moment, but recently a guitar-minded buddy picked the neglected object in the corner up, blew the dust and cobwebs away with a few nifty chord sequences, and declared the instrument a real beauty. So a bit of research revealed that a dealer in the US used to sell Yasuma guitars with a bit of tape stuck inside recommending only use extra-light strings. Up to then I'd just used any old strings, and put up with the pain inflicted by the heavy action as penance offered up for the doomed Epiphone ( which had an action to die for, and I still miss it, sob !). Duly re-stringed with xtra lights, cleaned, dusted, and de-loused, the 130 was transformed. The action changed to at least bearable. But it was the sound - the SOUND, that finally shone through - ringing highs coupled with subterranean bass notes, and everything in between. It only took 25 years to discover this things mojo, and all thanks to a random web search - all hail!

I bought a Yasuma WG130 new around 1980 from a local music store in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It was a toss up between that and the Yamaha but I fell in love with the beautiful mellow tone and abalone detailing. It's been a constant companion for over 30 years of actor/musician touring and bedroom noodling and sad (but true) is perhaps my most prized possession. It sounds amazing with new extra light strings, it keeps great tune in all weathers and I haven't replaced or repaired a thing in all those years. I don't know a lot about the pros and cons of expensive guitars such as Martin. My Yasuma wasn't any more to buy than a Yamaha but is it really as good as an equivalent Martin? They don't seem particularly collectable but I think my Yasuma is beautifully made and has got better with age. Isn't that the sign of a great instrument?

I recently acquired two Yasuma Tiples one is a copy of a Martin T17 the other is a copy of a Martin T28. Both are in mint condition. Looking for a value on them, I also picked up a mint 1927 Martin T17 and trying to get a value on it as well.

I bought a Yasuma Custom Model 130 Newance new with hardshell case in 1974 for $245. I still have it (thankfully)! I have maintained it but the nitrocellulose finish has yellowed. The sound is outstanding. The Yasuma was obviously a Martin copy. I have since bought a Martin D35. Does the Yasuma sound like it? No...and the finish is not as perfect but it was ten times less in price! These Yasuma guitars have a sound of their own and until you play one it is hard to describe. I'm glad I've kept mine and won't part with it because it is unique and for the most part unobtainable! Nice to hear others out there who have these fine instruments.

I played mine (Yasuma Custom Model 130) at my local folk club the other night and the original owner was there and wishes he hadn't parted with it! He bought it new in 1973! It has a unique and, in my view, fantastic sound and is one of the Japenese guitars that became known as the "Lawsuit Guitars". It's a pity that the copies were so blatant and I doubt that there is anything to compare in that range from later Japanese manufacturers.

Hey all, I've seen a really nice looking Yasuma acoustic in a charity shop and wondered if it's worth buying (it's only £15!) It seems in good nic (straight neck, no obvious dinks or scratches, tuners and strings look ok & all there). Any advice - they seem pretty rare and there's very little info on the web. The shop are keeping it until the end of the day for me, so I cant hang about! Thanks Cal

Hi all, I own a Yasuma Custom Model 230, which I bought from a friend (original owner) about 20 years ago. He paid DKK 1300 (€ 175) for it in 1975 in Aarhus Denmark. I have installed a pick-up system and the guitar sounds fantastic both amplified and acoustic. It is truly a remarkable sound and I would never part with it. Good to know that there are more Yasuma aficionados out there. Thnx BJ

I bought a yasuma new ance 43 years ago brand new Beggs Music Shop in Dunedin, New Zealand for $500. It has survived many years of treasured ownership and has been enjoyed by the family. I would be interested to know it's worth but I shall not be letting go any time soon.

I have a 4-string guitar that I always thought was considered a tenor uke. It is a New Ance brand, and inside the label says Kimihiko Yasuma No. 700. It was given to me by a friend about 45 years ago and I just wanted to know somthing about it.

My dad bought a Yasuma 130B brand new in the late 70's. It is one of the finest looking guitars I have seen. He barely played it and it sat in a case for most of its life. I recently cleaned it up and put some new light strings on it.

I really like this guitar, the fretwork and fingerboard are amazing. I think this 130B model has a solid top too, and is hand made in japan

I've had my yasuma guitar for roughly 30 years. Its a beautiful looking guitar and sounds wonderful. I got it new in 1982 but it must have been in the shop for a few years Its got the K. Yasuma NEW ANCE scripted logo on the head. Abalone fret decorations and I think the color is cherry red back and sides with sunburst front , with a pick guard on it that has a picture of a hummingbird and a butterfly and flowers. Its got a label inside that reads ' est 1950 Yasuma hand made by Yasuma Musical Inst, co. Model no 240 H made in Japan. I fell in love with it as a fifteen year old who was just learning to play. My sister bought it for me after much begging. It was over 300 aust dollars then! I will never part with it now. My sister recently passed away, and every time I look at it I regret not keeping up with my lessons. I play a bit every now and again, but after reading here, I vow to start up again. It sounds wonderful. Thanks every one for bringing my guitar back to life for me. I only wish there was a way of finding out when thismodel was made. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I've just Googled Yasuma Newance out of curiosity over a mandolin I have owned for over 25 years, having bought it from a friend (for £30 I think). Like contributors above (11.10.07 and 02.10.09) I've been intrigued by its history. I can't find a model number but at the machine heads 'K Yasuma' is written in an arc in fancy script with 'NEWANCE' in capitals beneath it and inside 'K.Yasuma, Yasuma Musical Co. Nagoya Japan'. It has 'f' holes and the neck joins the body at the 10th fret. It is my second mandolin to a Stefan Sobell but plays very nicely and has a crisp clear sound across the full range. I refretted it some 15 years ago and it has a nice light action when used with D'Addario J74 strings. Clearly it's not in the same league as the SS but as an every day instrument to throw in the back of the car when travelling it's great. I've found the discussion thread here very interesting!

I am also the Extremely Happy Owner of a Yasuma Nuance Guitar that I bought in Newport News in the early 70's while on the road,My hotel got broken into and my Epiphone was stolen,I bought this Yasuma from a client of Mine and have been sooo very happy with it ever since , I would never ever consider selling it , I have never been able to find any information or another like it , mine also says hand made but where the model # should be there was a piece of masking tape that said to use extra light strings , when that disappeared some years ago so did the model #,My Guitar has a solid spruce top and Mahogany sides and back,however the back of My guitar is a three piece back with the center piece being maple i believe, and other two are mahogany and all three are divided by a tiny herringbone design.I have never found another guitar that has this guitars volume or bright sound and easy fingering neck,I will never sell this guitar,I would love to hear if anyone else has or knows of this model with the three piece back,thanks to everyone for making this Yasuma site available,

I bought my YCM Yasuma second hand in 86 in Victoria Australia for $150! I thought "it was just a Japanese guitar"! The ex through a keybourd at me and I lifted the ax, put a little hole in the back! Model no 1000! Spruce top, mahogany back and sides with a ebony fret board!Heaps of mother of pearl (abalone)around sound hole fret board and head stock! Mate of mine is a luthier came around, said it's a collectors item and worth money( I love this guitar and would never sell!) The jokers (marks) that said they are ply wood don't know what they're talking about,the Japanese bought all the best timber in the 70s and 80s and these guitars were built by the best!They got sued, and the company folded, because they were so good, you only have to look at one and hear one to know these guitars are amazing! Web site http://yasuma-guitar.com/index.html Serial number is inside near the neck, 540102, not where it is meant to be (on the sticker!) I have other jap guitars, fender strat, aria classical and a 75 ibanez bass, they also made the best electronics!!!

Hi we also have a Yasuma guitar model number is 240H IS Red sunburst with hummingbird scratch plate serial nos are 540015 and 54114 would love to know what its worth its about 45 years old in god condition

Hi everyone - selling my Yasuma in Melbourne. Great guitar - has had a small electric pick up added, and is in good condition (needs a little TLC). Unsure of the exact model but amazing sound. Details on the inside sticker are "Hand made by Yasuma musical instrument co. Model number 130." Serial number 540011. Given the rare nature of these guitars, and their age (45 years old), I would like to sell to a person who really values how special they are. $1300 ONO. Contact me by email - calviney@hotmail.com. Must sell before end of 2014. Thanks!

Hi - I have what I think is a Yasuma 130 in excellent condition and unfortunately am planning to sell it and my collection of +30yo Japanese Martin copy guitars i.e. Takamine, Cats Eyes, Kasuga 12 strings plus a few Yamahas. Anyone interested and if so make an offer. Cheers G gaa.and@gmail.com